10 Creative Business Card Ideas for Fine Artists

Please check out our Facebook page for more information about marketing your art. We will be hosting a new live stream about this topic really soon.

You can’t do business without this valuable marketing tool. Take this opportunity to be original—your art certainly is.

Let’s face it, meeting people in person is still the best form of marketing. For artist’s it’s the perfect opportunity to share your art business and get someone excited about making an appointment for a showing, getting linked to your blog or direct them to your website. Don’t get caught scribbling your contact information on a napkin! Show your prospective clients and customers that you are “all about art”. Take the opportunity to be creative and leave them with an impression they can’t forget.

If you are like me, most business cards I collect end up in my desk drawer (never to be seen again). Prevent this from happening to your business card by creating a creative and clever card that will get left in plain sight (posted to a fridge or tacked to the wall—best case scenerio); create something that will remind your prospective customer of you.

Here are 10 creative business card ideas for fine artists, that are sure to catch their attention

Add some sparkle and texture to your business cards. Embellish your cards with paint, fabric, metal or trinket. This personalized touch will cost your some manual labour, but the results are amazing and will make every card “an original”.

Artist, Claire Wellesley-Smith’s card holds 4 ingredients to good business card design: Simple, Modern, Tasteful and Cost Effective. Deliver your business message with one or two colours of ink, neatly spaced type and clear contact information.

Shape and size will help your card stand out in the pile. Once considered a “European size”, we’re seeing this narrow profile more often because of its modern, sleek look. The designer of the square card (next below) calls it a “cocktail size”—maybe because it looks like a mini drink coaster? I like it either way and the metallic ink, spot varnish on black is fantastic, if you have the budget.

Add continuity to your brand by using your signature (or mark) on your business card. Many artworks are recognized by the artists signature. If you have a unique “mark” this is the perfect opportunity to build your brand. The second photo shows the artist’s own Chinese mark, seen as a die-cut. Expensive, but it packs a punch.

Show off a small artwork, create a card without a computer. Easily done with pen and ink, create an artwork including the text, at scale (2×3 ratio for the average size card) and have it scanned by your printer into a vector graphic.

Tip: If you are creating your artwork proportionally larger, be sure to test the reduction of your text to be sure it is readable once reduced. This technique also works best for line art (not as well for art with greys), use a single colour for economy. If you have an artwork that is multi-colour, ask for a high-res scan at 300dpi and budget the extra costs for printing full colour or shop for a deal with an online printer.

The double-duty business card. Do you like the idea of having your business card and portfolio with you all the time, everywhere you go? Print your best images on the reverse sides of your business cards. The idea of printing several different business cards at one time use to be very expensive, but no so today. Try printing some Moo-mini’s Moo.com. Moo mini’s are a narrower profile (than what you see below), but equally effective. Priced at 100 cards for $19.99 it’s a smoke’in-hot deal.

Classic White is always a good choice. Show your professionalism by creating a card with stylized lettering on white. Clean and classic white cards are always well received. Choose a beautiful heavy weight paper stock (eg. 160lb card stock) for the added touch.

And finally carry your business cards with you everywhere! Your business card is your easiest form of marketing. Be sure your family and friends have a good supply too. Give them out freely to everyone who expresses an interest in your work.

Keep them free from dog-earing by storing them in a nice case or envelope in your bag. Make sure you don’t leave home without—a nifty keyring holder is this artists great idea!

Get exposure for your art! JOIN us on Exhibit-it.com, the hottest new platform for artists to exhibit and share their art in HD video. (Learn more about Exhibit-it). If you have additional questions about printing your art or preparing for an art exhibit, contact us as we’re happy to assist you!